NISSAN CONSIDERED A GOATEE TO CONCEAL TITAN'S AGING LOOKS

"If It Works For a Man, It Should Work For a Truck, Right?" Nissan's Reisling Bubbalinga

Nissan considered simply adding a goatee to the
company's aging Titan pickup (above), but ultimately
decided on complete redesign

The Nissan Titan, which has remained largely unchanged since its 2004 debut, has finally been revamped; the new truck debuted at Detroit's International Auto Show earlier this month.  But one insider says the new truck almost didn't happen.  

Nissan Conceptual Designer Reisling Bubbalinga said planners came close to keeping the current truck for a few more years, equipping it with a goatee to conceal the effects of aging rather than spending millions to develop a new model.  

"Many men grow goatees to conceal wrinkles, sagging skin and other signs of aging," explained Bubbalinga, "I can't see any reason it wouldn't work for a truck."  

Before quashing the entire goatee idea, Nissan designers also created supplemental whiskers for the truck's side doors called Titan Chops, claimed Bubbalinga.